Overview
E-Z25378 is a downstream clade of E-Z3612 positioned during the Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age population landscape of the Near East. This lineage represents a key component of demographic expansions linked to early agro-pastoralist groups inhabiting the Levant, northern Arabia, and southwestern Anatolia. Unlike several neighboring micro-lineages, E-Z25378 has a clearer internal structure that suggests it underwent more noticeable demographic events, likely tied to founder effects or long-term continuity within regional settlement clusters.
Geographic distribution
Modern carriers of E-Z25378 are most common in central and northern Levantine regions including Lebanon, western Syria, and northern Israel. Additional occurrences appear in Cyprus, southern Turkey (Hatay, Cilicia), and occasionally the Aegean basin. These patterns align with ancient maritime mobility across the Eastern Mediterranean and terrestrial routes linking the Levant with Anatolia. Outlier samples in Greece or southern Italy are rare but historically plausible due to Bronze and Iron Age cultural exchange.
Ancient DNA
- No ancient genomes assigned directly to E-Z25378, but related upstream E-Z3612 lineages appear in Bronze Age Levantine and Anatolian individuals.
- The estimated age of E-Z25378 fits within a period of strong maritime connectivity and the emergence of complex urban societies in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Phylogeny & subclades
Notes & context
E-Z25378 occupies an important structural position within the E-Z3612 radiation because it includes multiple downstream branches that align with region-specific founder effects in the Levant and southern Anatolia. It is particularly valuable for modelling the demographic and cultural interactions between these zones during the Bronze and Iron Age periods. As genetic sampling increases, E-Z25378 is expected to accumulate additional subclades that refine population-history reconstructions.
References & external links